Smoke And Mirrors
by raicho
Summary: Another Gohan goes to OSH fic, but I'm hoping this one will provide a unique storyline with the same great flavour! Whilst attending high school, Gohan realises peaceful Satan City actually houses a dark, hidden secret. My second ever fic! AU GohanVidel
1. The Tie Stays On

**Smoke And Mirrors**

**Chapter 1: The Tie Stays On**

**By raicho**

I have no ownership rights over Dragonball Z. This is a work of fanfiction, and all characters, storylines and ideas present within this story are the property of their respective owners.

# # # # #

Tighter and tighter, it was constricting around his neck, jerking his head from side to side as it strengthened its grip without mercy. He was starting to take short, shallow, jagged breaths, desperately as though they were his very last as the silky texture slid around his throat. This... this 'thing' had no soul. No cares, no joy, no sense of being. It delighted in stealing the life from its victims, as it had done for decades to millions upon millions of innocents.

He tried to reach up and remove it only to have his hands continually swatted away like flies. He had faced evil like the world could never believe, looked death in the eyes, knew what true fear felt like, and the courage that was needed to overcome it. But this time there was no escaping the inevitable; in the end death always won, it was the natural order of things. His eyes began to roll into the back of his head, legs shaking as darkness quickly clouded his consciousness. This was it. This was the end.

"Don't be so ridiculous Gohan" Chi-Chi exclaimed, stepping back to take a look at the tie. Stepping in to readjust it she continued, "You have to look your best for your first day at high school. You do remember that this family is counting on you succeeding in life and earning us some money don't you?"

Gohan sighed as he once again resigned to letting his mother go to work on the offending item around his neck. "I know mum, but do I really have to wear this? I scored perfect results on the entry exams, and I'm only going there today for a tour of the campus. It's all just a formality now."

Chi-Chi grinned in accomplishment as she stepped back to take in the finely polished features of her son. _"Stylish yet formal" _she thought to herself; a pair of blue jeans fit perfectly to his legs, whilst the white shirt, black tie and blazer gave a hint to his finely chiselled, muscular physique, but still left enough to the imagination. _"He's going to waltz into that school, impress all his teachers and become the greatest scholar the world has seen. And whilst he's doing all that, with looks like these he's bound to attract the perfect girl! Oh I can see the grandchildren now!"_

Gohan looked at his mother, hearts in her eyes, knowing that expression all too well. Realising he'd get no answer to his question, he decided to help himself to a few more pancakes left on the table, reaching for the syrup, he quickly felt the all too familiar sensation of metal impacting the back of his head.

"Oh no you don't young man!" Chi-Chi quietly, but oh so firmly stated, "I've just finished making you look perfect for the day ahead, you're not going to cover yourself in food now!"

Gohan groaned as he clutched the back of his head, longingly staring at the fluffy pancakes laid out on the table. "But mum I really nee-"

"NO! And that's my final word." Chi-Chi said placing the frying pan back into the cupboard above her. "Besides, your brother will probably be back any second now demanding more food, and I've been under too much stress this morning to make any more!"

As if on queue the door bursting open, and a being which resembled a Tasmanian Devil rather than a younger brother began tearing up the kitchen. "Gohan! Gohan! Gohan!" the young demi-saiyajin shouted excitedly, "Come see this awesome lizard I found! I couldn't bring him in 'cos he won't fit through the door, but I left him outside, but he might run away, so you gotta come quick!"

Instantly putting a grin back on his face, Gohan held out his hands to try and calm down his brothers antics. "Calm down Goten, before you give mum a headache and let's go see this lizard of yours!"

"YAAAAAYYYY!" Goten ran out of the house, only to come back in seconds later when he realised Gohan wasn't following him. Crouching down head in hands, Gohan rubbed the second bruise that was quickly forming thanks to the almighty Teflon cooking utensil. Cringing at the thought he could be next, Goten slowly and sneakily worked his way back outside to check on his newest friend.

"Gohan!" Chi-Chi snapped at him, "I just asked you not to cover yourself in syrup, and already you're trying to get covered in mud with god-knows whatever your brother has brought home this time!" Chi-Chi sighed tapping her foot and staring out the window as Goten rode around the lawn, laughing atop of the giant reptile.

"Now off you go, or else you'll be late!"

Gohan stood up, still rubbing the sore spot on the back of his head as he grabbed his shoulder bag. Heading outside he began to slowly lift off the ground. Just before he could summon the energy needed to blast off towards school, a cold voice reached his ears from the doorway behind.

"And Gohan…" He slowly turned his head to see his mother standing in the shadows of the house, the ominous frying pan in hand. "The tie _stays_ on."

# # # # #

There you have it, the prologue to my second ever fic (I never finished the first so let's not go there!). This actually came off quite light and fluffy which I wasn't expecting, but things will get a tad more sinister along the way. Please do let me know what you think!


	2. Welcome To Orange Star High

**Smoke And Mirrors**

**Chapter 2: Welcome To Orange Star High**

**By raicho**

# # # # #

Eyes half shut Gohan bathed in the glow of the early morning sunshine whilst effortlessly soaring to school. The wind ruffled his spiky hair as if trying to flatten it and bring some kind of order to the unruly mess - trying yet failing quite miserably. Below, thousands upon thousands of drops of due were shining brilliantly in the morning sun, creating a pattern reminiscent of a city lit up at night.

His hand subconsciously worked it's way to his collar, where he longingly tugged at the shackle around his neck. Eyes closing completely he began to dream of the many different ways he could be rid of the tie that was quickly becoming the bane of his existence.

Thoughts of burning, ripping, shredding and vaporising said garment were interrupted suddenly as a sharp sensation piercing his senses quickly snapped Gohan from his dreams. Jumping up in shock he soon found himself falling through the air at a frightfully alarming rate.

Confused, panic stricken and still groggy from his nap, he tried to scream only to find the wind rushing past him had an almost suffocating effect. Semi-conscious, he couldn't fathom the situation he appeared to be in, and as the ground loomed closer and closer he could think of nothing to do but slam his eyes shut. The sensation of his body hitting the earth however, was nothing like what he was expecting.

_"I'm pretty confident that the floor isn't supposed to be quite so soft and fluffy on impact..."_ Gohan thought as he slowly cracked open an eye, to find himself sat atop a bright yellow cloud that had saved him from a rather nasty meeting with terra firma.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Gohan flipped himself over and propped himself up, arms stretched out behind, grinning goofily whilst lightly patting his saviour. "Thanks Nimbus, you always seem to be there when I need you most!"

Gazing out over the already bustling Satan City, Gohan's mind wandered to what had caused him to wake up rather abruptly. It had been a sharp knock to his senses, similar yet somehow completely different to the feeling of the high energy level of a fighter. Stretching out his senses Gohan could not detect anything that alarmed him in the slightest. Satisfaction turned into confusion as he suddenly found that there was nothing at all he could detect.

Stretching his mind farther and farther Gohan he could not sense a single life force, none of the Z-Fighters, his family, nobody. As realisation of what was missing dawned on him, he realised that not even the energy of the people he could see below him was present, and for that matter, his own life-force. Panicking, Gohan leapt from Nimbus and quickly headed home, only to stop sharp a mile out when his senses returned.

"You better not be playing jokes on me again Dende..." Gohan muttered as he slowly returned to Satan City, only to have his senses leave him again. Quickly doubling back on himself he could once again pick up the life signs of everything around him... or rather almost everything. Glancing in the direction of the city he realised there were no life signs to be found, despite the presence of a few thousand people.

Puzzlement eventually changed to amusement as Gohan began to hop back and forth between this mysterious boundary he had found. He was about to attempt an experiment involving Nimbus, having his body halfway across the invisible barrier, and a number of Kamehameha waves when the beeping of his watch drew his attention to where he was supposed to be...

"School!"

# # # # #

Papers flew in all directions from the desk as the doors burst open to reveal a rather tall, flustered, young man standing before her in reception. The look of annoyance on her face quickly changed to a tint of pink on each cheek as she gazed into the dark eyes above her. Looking away and quickly regaining her composure she re-adjusted her glasses before turning back to the stranger opposite her.

"Can I help you young man?" she said softly, smiling.

Gohan grinned back, "Yes please, my name is Son Gohan, I'm attending Orange Star High next month, and I'm here for the campus tour."

"Hmmmm... Son Gohan..." the young blonde mumbled to her self, chewing on the end of her pen while she thumbed through the papers left on her desk. Glancing down by the edge of her desk, she saw the sheet needed and reached down for it. Gohan immediately turned a rather bright shade of red as a somewhat lacy item of clothing became visible as she bent over.

Sitting back up the receptionist quickly found the needed information. "It seems you were meant to be on a tour earlier this morning Mr Son."

"Well yes.. heheh... I errr... something came up on the way here..." he stammered.

"Well the last tour party left just over 5 minutes ago, you can probably still catch them if you go now." she replied smiling.

"That sounds great! Where can I find the tour panties... errrrr... party? Campus tour party..." Gohan turned even brighter as he fidgeted on the spot, nervously shuffling his feet, looking awkwardly towards the ground.

Standing up and walking around the desk to stand in front of him, the young blonde pointed towards a set of doors on left hand side. "The tour should be in room Y26 by now, one of the mathematics classes just past the canteen."

Gohan quickly looked away from her and towards the corridor she indicated. "Thank you, miss."

"You're welcome" she called after him as he headed off in the direction she pointed. "And Gohan..."

Gohan stopped and turned around to see a rather amused grin on the young receptionists face. "You'd better get used to seeing a few things around here, otherwise you're going to find it more than a little awkward settling in!"

Gohan gulped, before quickly dashing off down the corridor.

# # # # #

"Y19... Y20... Y21..." Gohan mentally checked off the rooms as he walked down the hallway. Passing the canteen had quickly taken his mind off of his embarrassing incident from earlier, and almost made him forget why he was in the school at all. Quickly dragging himself from the scents emanating from the large dining hall, he'd set off again in search of the campus tour party.

Picking out a muffled feminine voice, Gohan turned a corner to find a door with Y26 printed on the window. A sigh escaped as his lips as he happily walked up to the door and knocked. The sound of footsteps shortly followed and the door swung open, revealing a set of annoyed sapphire eyes piercing into his.

"Who are you? You're disrupting my talk."

Gohan stepped back grinning the famous Son grin, scratching the back of his head. "I'm sorry to interrupt, my name is Son Gohan; I'm here for the tour."

"Hmmm" the girl glanced over the sheet, "You're not on my list."

"I was sort of... late for check-in this morning." he said grinning sheepishly.

The girl sighed and glanced towards the heavens, _"Another slacker, just what this school needs."_ she thought to herself.

"Very well, come on in and join us, but don't expect me to repeat anything I've already discussed." she said whilst her unwavering glare bore into him.

Gohan chuckled nervously again, before stepping into the class.

# # # # #

Realisation about the receptionists comments dawned on Gohan as he travelled around Orange Star High with the group, and it had taken him quite a while to get the colour of his face under control. He found himself surrounded by prospective students, some of whom stared around the rooms in boredom, others listening with great interest to the raven haired girl leading their tour group, whilst some constantly batted their eyes at him. Where as some of them were easy to ignore, others wore the most tight fitting of tops with the shortest of skirts, and Gohan couldn't help but think they resembled a belt more than anything else.

_"Master Roshi would be in heaven I'm sure..." _the young demi-saiyajin thought, allowing a small chuckle to escape his lips.

Focussing intently on the words of the girl leading them through the labyrinth of corridors and classrooms, Gohan had managed to make it around the entire school with just a hint of a blush on his face. The group continued it's winding path through the school, passing a variety of faculties, an eagerly anticipated stop in the cafeteria and a tour of the sports hall. Eventually the tour made its way outside of the building to the rear car park overlooking one of the sports fields, currently devoid of activity other than the odd teenager studying or relaxing out in the sunshine.

"...and that brings us to the end of the tour, is there anything anybody would like to ask?" the girl said looking over the crowd in front of her.

Gohan was about to voice one of the many questions he had stockpiled on his way around campus, when a sneering voice sounded from behind the crowd.

"No questions, but it's time you answered for what you've done bitch."

The crowd quickly turned heads to see the sinister group standing behind them, a motley crew of four teenage boys, dressed in khaki combat trousers and black tank tops, a red bandana each wrapped around one of their arms. The leader who had spoke stood smugly with his arms crossed, as the other three leered at the girls in the tour group.

The raven-haired tour leader quickly pushed her way through the crowd to stand face to face with the speaker. "You've got some nerve coming here, you know it's forbidden for Riverside High students to come onto our campus." she snapped, glaring fiercely at the leader.

"It's a new year, and a new set of rules, and I thought I'd show some of our new guys a tour of our own.." the boy grinned maliciously.

Without breaking her gaze the girl spoke in a commanding voice to the crowd behind her, who were fidgeting with more than a hint of collective fear. "Tour's over boys and girls, I suggest you head back into the school."

The crowd quickly obliged, some breaking into a full-blown sprint for the doors, and soon only the four Riverside boys, the girl with the burning blue eyes, and Son Gohan were left outside in the car park.

"Don't be stupid kid, I can take care of this. The last thing I need is to explain to your parents how you got a beating on your first day at school." the girl said quietly.

Gohan chuckled, "Don't worry, not going to happen..."

Gohan quickly shifted into a stance ready to respond to anything that might come his way, or towards his guide. He felt tense. He certainly hadn't planned on fighting anyone today, but the fact that he couldn't sense anything seemed to make things that much worse. A skill that had become just as important to him as his hearing and vision, he felt more than a little anxious preparing for combat without it.

_"Such a strange feeling... Almost like fighting the Androids..."_ Gohan pushed the distracting thoughts from his mind and focussed on the opponents before him.

Silence surrounded them, with only the occasional sound of a tennis ball being hit back and forth heard in the courts behind them.

One of the boys at the rear of the group lunged towards the girl, yet before Gohan could respond she had leapt in the air with a surreal grace, executing a reverse round-house kick on her assailant. Gohan gazed in awe as she quickly moved onto the other two, proceeding to dispatch them with relative ease.

A sharp pain in his cheek brought Gohan back to reality as he recoiled from the shock of a punch to the face. Turning to the side he saw his attacker, the leader of the group, who was nursing his hand with a look of surprise on his face.

_"That... hurt..."_ Gohan thought to himself in shock, rubbing his cheek absent-mindedly.

The man before him dropped into a aggresive stance, quickly assuming a smug look on his face again.

"You're gonna wish you took the bitch's advice kid, you'll regret the day you ever decided to come to this school."

"You really should watch your language, it's not nice to call people names." Gohan shot back, dropping into a defensive stance and readying himself for the next attack.

The man charged at him screaming and leapt into the air with a side-thrust kick aimed for Gohan's head. The look on his face was one of utter surprise however, as Gohan simply caught his foot in one hand, before executing a devastating upper-cut to the mans chin with his free arm. The man fell onto the gravel car park, instantly knocked unconscious.

Turning back to his tour guide Gohan was surprised to see a similar scene with the other three attackers sprawled across the floor, along with a pleasantly surprised girl standing above them, her sapphire eyes once again gazing into his. She walked over to Gohan, stopping in front of him and held out her hand.

"Videl, Satan Videl."

Gohan glanced down before shaking her hand and replying, "Gohan, Son Gohan"

Videl grinned and her azure eyes shone brilliantly in the sunlight, "Welcome to Orange Star High."

# # # # #

Chapter 2 up and finished - I apologise to those of you who have been waiting for this update, I've had a few essays that needed writing, so I've naturally been quite busy! Once again, I'd love to hear any and all feedback that you have; good or bad!


	3. I Am Soooo Dead

**Smoke And Mirrors**

**Chapter 3: I Am Soooo Dead**

**By raicho**

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"What are you doing kid?"

Gohan glanced back over his shoulder at the gruff voice to find the tall, green namekian he considered his mentor and closest friend, staring at him with a puzzled expression. As Gohan continued to hop back and forth in mid-air, eyes continued to follow him with the increasing fear that his student may have finally gone mad.

"Oh hi Piccolo" Gohan replied absent-mindedly, as he continued to dart forwards and back above the outskirts of Satan City.

"At the risk of shedding light on something better left hidden... what are you doing?" Piccolo asked, looking on as his young friend stopped his seemingly mad antics and drifted to a point in front of him. "I came thinking you might be in trouble... your ki has been fluctuating from something to nothing, over and over."

Gohan grinned sheepishly the way only a Son could manage, hand tucked behind his head.

"Sorry Piccolo, didn't mean to worry you, I discovered something rather odd this morning and I can't figure it out. Observe."

Piccolo looked on as Gohan turned sharply in the air, and proceeded in the direction of Satan City. Surely enough something 'rather odd' did happen as Gohan's life force disappeared, whilst Gohan himself remained floating meters in front of him. Looking past the boy, Piccolo realised that not one life could be detected from the city below, when clearly there were more than enough people present.

"Strange..." Piccolo muttered, reaching out and passing his hand through the boundary, "Some kind of universal divergence that suppresses our life force?"

"At first I thought whatever it is must be suppressing my energy too, however..." Gohan stretched out a hand as it filled with energy, releasing a beam that shot past Piccolo and into the distance. "If that were the case I wouldn't be able to fire a ki blast, or fly for that matter."

Piccolo stared in horror as the blast impacted a mountain on the horizon, levelling it and sending a shockwave of mass proportions towards them. Shielding himself with his cape, Piccolo kept himself hidden from the debris of rocks and branches that flew at him from afar. As the dust settled he turned with a look of disapproval to face his student, who once again had the famous Son grin all over his face.

"I guess not being able to sense the energy makes it hard to know how much force you're putting into something." Gohan explained rather apologetically.

Piccolo merely grunted in response as he turned his attention back to the mysterious barrier before him.

"I know of no power, natural or magical, that would cause something like this to happen" he stated, finally crossing the boundary himself. "Curious."

"Then maybe it's something else... I'll pop over to see Bulma before heading home, maybe she'll have some insight into what's happening." Gohan replied, tightening his belt and turning his head in the direction of Capsule Corp. "I'll let you know what I find out Piccolo."

Simply nodding in reply Piccolo watched as the bright aura of Gohan's power surrounded him, before jetting off into the distance.

# # # # #

"And so that's the situation." Gohan finished, looking at the blue haired genius before him, a contemplative look on her face. He'd spent the past half hour detailing the events of today to her, minus the incident at school and the slight re-landscaping he'd done to the Satan Peaks. Bulma talked, and should his mother find out... well let's just say he was in no hurry for another appointment with the frying pan.

"Sounds like my kind of mystery!" exclaimed Bulma, as she span in her seat coming to a halt in front of her computer. "It's about time something came along that challenged my genius!"

Gohan smiled as he watched her tap away at the console, bringing up some satellite imagery and read-outs of the area surrounding Satan City.

"This could take a while Gohan, why don't you go grab a snack or use the Gravity Room, I'm sure Vegeta won't mind." Bulma spoke up from the desk, leaning in to take a closer look at the readings on the screen before her.

Deciding Vegeta probably would mind quite a bit if he were to use the GR, he instead made his way out of the lab and opted for the kitchen. Capsule Corp always fascinated him, but yet he could never fathom living here. As he walked through the corridors with gleaming tiled floors, white-washed walls and nothing else but the occasional passing lab assistant and potted plant, he knew that it didn't hold a candle to the snug and comfort of his home, even if that home did contain an overbearing mother.

Finally making his way out of the labs and into the household area, Gohan quickly closed in on the kitchen and set about making himself a snack of epic proportions. Before he could tuck into his efforts however, he quickly found himself on the floor, courtesy of the purple blur that raced in and knocked him off his stool.

"I knew you were here Gohan!"

Gohan groaned as he looked up at the grinning face of the boy who could almost be called his second brother.

"Hi Trunks, it's good to see you too, now would you get off me, you're getting heavier as you get bigger."

Quickly hopping off of his idol and turning his attention to the table, his eyes proceeded to grow even wider as he stared at the feast laid out before him. Turning expectantly to the teenager slowly dragging himself off of the floor, he screamed in delight as he received a begrudging nod. Diving straight into the food, Trunks proceeded to stuff his mouth full as Gohan reached over the table and began tucking into the waffles.

"Sho Gohan, wha bwingsh ya t' ca'sule cor' today, ya wanna play wi' me?!" Trunks asked excitedly, spraying food across the table.

"Errr... no, not today Trunks, I just needed your mums help with something at school." Gohan replied, covering his face from the projectile crumbs.

"Oh ok..." Trunks said disappointedly, finishing off the last of the chicken wings, before his face illuminated once again. "I see lots of schools on TV! They look like so much fun! They're always getting into fights and stuff and they get detentions and attack their teachers and stuff! Is that what you do?!"

Gohan looked at the boy's expectant eyes, and knowing full well he'd regret it in the long-run, he decided to capitulate and tell him a little of what happened during his first day at school. Exaggerating in places for effect, Gohan enthralled Trunks as he sat on the edge of his stool, listening intently to his 'big brothers' story.

"Wow that sounds amazing Gohan! I can't wait to go to school, it must be full of awesome fighters!"

Gohan grinned slightly at the lavender haired child before him, before letting the day's events wash over him again. It had been a day of mystery; first an invisible barrier of some kind, and then a collection of fighters that were far beyond anything he would have expected outside of the Z Fighters. Where had they come from?

# # # # #

Hitting the floor hard, the beaten man let out a pained gasp as the air was driven from his lungs. The room was almost pitch black, and he could only just make out the vague shapes of his three subordinates sprawled across the cold, concrete surface beside him. Their sharp, laboured breathing, told him that they were in worst shape than he was.

Glancing above him he could make out thin slivers of light breaking through the painted out skylights. Recognition came to him as he realised he had somehow been taken to one of their many warehouses.

"You know it's against the rules to visit Orange Star High." a voice said to him, cutting through the tense atmosphere.

Recognition spread across the young mans face as he hung his head shamefully. "Kiyonari... I didn't mean to-"

"Save it Craig." Kiyonari snapped, looking down on the man as he struggled to his feet before him. Not long ago Craig had stepped out from under his wing and taken on his first 'job' with excellent results. Now cockiness had obviously gotten the better of him, and his desire to impress the new kids had led his young protégé to the floor before him.

"We're not just some petty gang anymore - the boss has seen to that. Rules are there to be followed. Don't let your first job with us be your last as well."

Craig nodded in humility, before glancing down once again at his subordinates, one of whom was beginning to drag himself off the floor.

"Are you going to... will the boss find out about this?"

Amused laughter rang out from a second individual shrouded in the darkness towards the back of the warehouse. Craig's eyes widened in fear as the dim light reflected off of steel blue eyes, a confident smirk faintly showing beneath them.

"I've already found out about this, so don't worry, I've had more than enough time to think up an appropriate punishment for you and your friends here." The face flashed yet another smirk before returning to the impassive mask it usually wore. "I'm feeling generous, so let's just say... 3 hours in the chamber."

Hanging his head in defeat, Craig turned to the three teenagers beside him, who had now only just managed to stand by themselves. Motioning for them to follow, they slowly headed in the direction of the subterranean levels, where the dreaded chamber awaited them.

Watching after them until they had disappeared to the levels below, Kiyonari turned his head back towards the blue-grey eyes in the darkness. The amused voice cut him off before he could say anything.

"Don't bother, I'm in a good mood, why spoil it."

Nodding thoughtfully, Kiyonari bowed to his superior before heading in another direction, focussing his thoughts on the curious predicament.

_"Craig's headstrong and arrogant, but he's still got skill. Videl shouldn't have been able to do a number on him like that so easily, so what happened...?"_

# # # # #

Finishing off the last pancake, Gohan leant back in the chair patting his stomach whilst watching a very stuffed Trunks do the same. Picking up the television remote, he began lazily flicking through the channels until a news broadcast suddenly caught his attention. On screen a reporter stood in the very car park he had been in just hours ago.

_"-never-ending gang warfare has continued to disrupt the lives of many citizens here in Satan City, and once again all eyes have turned away from our law enforcement officers towards the vigilantes who continue to protect our city. I'm Tricia Takanawa reporting for ZTV News."_

Gohan continued to stare at the TV in shock, processing what he'd just heard. _"Gang warfare? Is that what I was involved in? Oh man, mum will kill me if she hears anything about this!"_

"So Gohan, is that how you got that shiner?!"

Gohan stared blankly at Trunks, "What are you talking about Trunks?"

"Look in the mirror silly!"

Getting up from the table, Gohan made his way over to the mirror by the doorway. Stopping dead in his tracks, Gohan's eyes instantly locked onto the bruise that was slowly forming around his cheek and eye. Poking it lightly with a finger, he winced at the pain that shot through his face. The bruise seemed to become even more prominent as his face paled thinking of his next destination: home.

"I am soooo dead..."

# # # # #

So I'm obviously trying to go for the record for the longest amount of time between updates. Hopefully I'll be able to find some time to show some commitment to finally telling this story that is stuck in my head!

Chapter 3 is now up, as are some corrections to chapters 1 and 2, where I'd already managed to make some glaring continuity errors! Also, I couldn't help but throw in some recognisable names, my bad!

Finally, many thanks to all of you who have posted such encouraging reviews so far – it really is very much appreciated!


	4. He's Just A Geek

**Smoke And Mirrors**

**Chapter 4: He's Just A Geek**

**By raicho**

# # # # #

The ringing in the young demi-saiyajin's ears hadn't stopped, and he was beginning to think his mother might have actually permanently damaged his extra sensitive hearing.

After the verbal beating he'd received from his mother that morning about steering clear of any kind of fighting in school, Gohan felt rather nervous about his upcoming day.

"_I'm going to have to try and blend into the background as much as possible if I want to avoid anymore trouble"_ the young saiyajin thought to himself. _"That means controlling my powers as best as possible, and avoiding that girl at all costs..."_

His mind drifted back to his tour guide from a month ago. Brilliant, sapphire blue eyes, long midnight black hair, and such skill and grace. He grinned at the irony of how she, Satan Videl, could have such a buffoon of a father yet turn out to actually be quite a skilled fighter.

Satan. It was a name that seven years ago infuriated him, a man that had continuously put down his father and friends as tricksters and cheats. Over the years, time had allowed him to mature and block out the mixture of anger and guilt he had felt. In hindsight, he actually felt somewhat thankful that the masses of reporters and legions of fans that followed their 'saviour' were not chasing after him instead – grieving his father had been a long and painful process, and one that would have been far more unpleasant if he'd faced constant interruptions.

Suddenly spiralling out of control in midair, Gohan quickly realised he had once again been dragged from his thoughts by the strange sensation of crossing Satan City's mysterious barrier.

The barrier was still a puzzle to him. Piccolo had not been able to offer anymore thoughts on the phenomena, and Bulma's investigation for the past month had also failed to bring to light any kind of a clue – much to the annoyance of the blue-haired genius.

Gohan himself had spent a large amount of time inside the field, trying to figure it out. He could fly within the field, he could fire ki blasts, he could punch through solid rock just as he always did back home. The only difference was that here, that familiar sensation of energy rushing beneath him to propel himself into the air, or gathering into his palm before sending it towards some inanimate object, was missing.

He had even transformed into a Super Saiyajin at one point to see if he could somehow overpower this aura that was around him. It was evident from his experiment that the power was there, as indicated by the crater that formed around him and the debris that was sent in all directions. Still he hadn't been able to detect the slightest hint of life force within himself. If it wasn't for his other senses telling him otherwise, he'd have sworn he was dead.

Of course while this was all extremely perplexing in the grand scheme of things, it also posed a far more immediate problem.

"_If I can't detect and control the amount of energy within me, keeping myself incognito at school is going to prove extremely difficult..."_

With his mothers threats still lingering in his mind, Gohan's face changed into one of steadfast resolve and concentration as he resumed his journey towards Orange Star High.

# # # # #

"I'm telling you, this kid might be able to help us out."

The boy looked across at the feisty girl sat next to him before rolling his eyes and tossing his long blonde behind him with a quick flick of his wrist.

"Videl, are you seriously expecting me to believe that some scrawny kid knocked out that Craig loser? The one who, as I recall, even gave you a run for your money at the Sigma Corporation offices not that long ago."

Standing up, Sharpner proceeded to flex his muscles in an overly elaborate fashion, much to the annoyance of Videl and the delight of some of the more superficial girls sat around them.

"Besides, I've got more than enough muscle, this team doesn't need anymore!" he grinned, looking down at the raven-haired girl shaking her head.

"Sharpner, firstly sit down, you look like an idiot. Second, I'm not claiming anything, all I did was turn around to see this kid standing over that unconscious moron – he might be worth checking out."

Settling back down in his chair, and propping his feet up on the table, Sharpner proceeded to lean back, eyes closed with an arrogant smirk on his face. "Let me know when you see this wonderboy then, I'll tell you instantly what kind of kid he is."

# # # # #

"Welcome back, Son Gohan."

The receptionist flashed a smile at the young man before handing over the necessary paperwork and timetables. Innocently grinning back, Gohan walked across to one of the seats where he proceeded to sign on the various dotted lines to complete his enrolment.

Around him sat a couple of rather bored looking students – obviously not there by choice – along with a number of animated students filling in their own enrolment forms. Completing the necessary paperwork, he returned it promptly to the receptionist and sat back in his seat, waiting for the class representative who would lead him to his first session.

Slowly the teenagers present left reception one by one, and soon Gohan was by himself, watching the second hand tick slowly away on the clock. After what seemed like hours, he was broken from his boredom by the doors quickly being flung open, a flustered young blonde pushing her way into the room. Scanning the area her eyes quickly locked onto Gohan, giving him a meek smile.

"Son Gohan right? I am sooooo sorry I kept you waiting! I was like, caught up in class breaking up yet another pointless argument between the two 'superheroes' once again...." the girl continued on, ignoring the look of confusion etched on Gohan's face.

Just as he began to fear the girl might turn blue and pass out, she took a deep breath before beaming a brilliant smile at him.

"So yeah! My name's Erasa! Pleased to meet you!"

Grinning, Gohan instantly grew a liking for the girl. _"I have no idea what she just said... kinda reminds me of Goten!"_

Still without having said a word, he followed her out of reception and through the maze of corridors, up a stairwell and along a row of lockers, all the while listening to her talk about... well it seemed like nonsense. Something about a boy and girl at the prom who stopped talking to each other, but really were, but actually weren't. Sweatdropping he came to a stop next to a locker which the girl pointed at.

"This one's your locker, the code should be in your enrolment pack thingy. You might have to give it some 'umph' though, they can be a bit stiff!" Erasa chirped, still smiling.

"Gee thanks!" Gohan replied before turning to the locker, trying the code and giving it a pull.

A look of horror quickly shot across Gohan's face as the sound of metal creaking was accompanied by the destructive force of the locker being ripped out of the framework. With the door finally swinging open, the whole locker fell to the ground with a crash.

"_Smooth Gohan, real smooth..."_

With a sheepish grin on his face, Gohan faced the rather dumbfounded Erasa beside him. Blinking, she opened her mouth as if to speak, but for once found herself speechless. Shaking her head, she finally managed to find her voice.

"Sooo... errrrrm... sorry about that, I guess they haven't been maintaining the lockers! Or maybe you're secretly hiding some muscle under that shirt of yours!" the girl hinted, winking whilst she did.

Gohan couldn't get the words out of his mouth quickly enough. "Ohhh no, not me, I guess it was just broken like you said! Yeah! Broken!"

"Uh huh..." Erase mused... "C'mon, we're already late for class!"

Grabbing the teenage boy's arm, she proceeded to drag him further down the corridors before coming to a stop outside of a classroom door.

"Room R052, our first stop!"

Taking a deep breath, Gohan followed Erasa as she knocked on the door and proceeded to enter. Tentatively stepping into the classroom, he quickly surveyed the students before turning towards the newly discovered 'blonde Goten' and the teacher.

Coughing to get the attention of those in the class who hadn't noticed the newcomer, the teacher moved his way to the front of his desk to address the class.

"Now then class, calm down please. As many of you have noticed already we have a new student joining us today."

Turning to Gohan the elderly man motioned for him to step forwards and introduce himself. "Ummm, hello everyone, my name is Son Gohan, it's a pleasure to meet you all."

Nodding, pleased that for once he'd ended up with a student who seemed to have a certain degree of manners, he pushed his glasses back up his nose before continuing.

"Gohan here scored perfect marks on his entry exams, and is a fine example of what many of you could become if you decided to pay attention for once!"

Turning to pick up the text book on his desk the teacher then began to resume the class as Erasa once again grabbed hold of Gohan and bounded up the stairs to her seat, dragging the helpless teenager behind.

Meanwhile, a very energetic Videl was poking the rather irritated Sharpner sat next to her.

"That's him Sharpner, that's the guy from the open day I was telling you about!"

Peering over the shoulder of the Hercule's daughter, Sharpner began to crack up as he saw Erasa excitedly talking to the bewildered boy now sat next to her. "That little wimp?! Give me a break Videl, I could snap him in two in a heartbeat!"

The pigtailed girl turned to face the same direction, and take in the subject of their conversation more closely. She had to admit it, he really didn't seem like much, but in this city, looks didn't count for much at all.

"Hey you, new kid, you're the guy who was in my tour group at the open day right?"

Snapping out of the bubble he seemed to be stuck in with Erasa gossiping to him constantly, Gohan's eyes quickly locked onto the interrogating stare emanating from the dark haired girl on the other side of Erasa. Gulping audibly a sheepish grin quickly spread across his face followed by a rather nervous chuckle.

His charcoal eyes looking everywhere except the intense gaze locked on him, Gohan managed to force a response from his lips, "Uh, yeah, that was me... interesting day wasn't it Miss... errr, Videl, right?"

"_Great just my luck, here I am trying my hardest to blend in, and I end up in the same class as the one girl who's seen exactly why I can't blend in."_

"Interesting is certainly one word to describe it Son Gohan." the young girl replied in an accusing tone. "One minute you're refusing to do what I tell you, the next you're standing over the body of a punk who'd give Sharpy here a good beating."

"Hey!" the long-haired blonde shouted out, "You have as much trouble dealing with that loser from Riverside as I do, more so actually, since I'm obviously a lot stronger than you."

Quickly jamming an elbow into the jock behind her, Videl glanced in delight as the winded boy nearly fell out of his chair, clutching at his side whilst shooting an annoyed yet pained look in her direction. Returning her own gaze back to the subject of her interrogation, she found herself even more annoyed at the almost jubilant and victorious look on Gohan's face.

"_This is perfect!"_ the young demi-saiyajin thought to himself. _"She obviously didn't see anything, I just need some kind of excuse now and I'm home free!"_

"Gee, I don't really know Videl. I barely saw anymore than you did... perhaps he slipped on the gravel and fell over?" Gohan suggested.

Clawing his way back onto his seat, Sharpner let out a wheezy cough before butting in again. "See Videl, he really is a bookworm, he just got lucky."

"Oh I wouldn't be so sure Sharpy! Gohan here did just rip his locker out of the wall after all!" Hearts in her eyes, Erasa gazed up into Gohan's, who currently looked like a deer caught in headlights.

Laughing nervously, Gohan coughed quickly before letting out a nervous reply. "Well, I, errr, you said it yourself Erasa, it was probably broken or something..."

Trailing off Gohan turned his attention quickly to the text book in front of him, burying his face between the pages. From along the desk he heard 'Sharpy' laughing out at what he'd said.

"See Videl, he really is just a geek."

# # # # #

Deciding that he still needed to prove his point, Sharpner proceeded to spend the better part of the day trying to prove to Videl that Gohan really was the loser he believed him to be. Unfortunately this had had some rather undesirable results.

Having sabotaged Gohan's chair in literature class, Sharpner felt confident his tumble to the floor would be enough to get the nerd in trouble. Mr Stevens was known throughout the school for being strict and old-school; surely enough, Gohan's rather loud and dramatic tumble to the floor automatically branded him a joker in Mr Stevens' eyes, and he was quickly sentenced to an hour holding a bucket of water in each hand.

Far from looking strained though, Gohan appeared half asleep by the time class was out. Figuring he needed some added effect, the sporty blonde decided to dig a sneaky punch into his side on his way out. Instead of winding the kid however, Gohan instead jumped up out of his slumber, emptying the buckets all over his long blonde hair and brand new OSH sports jacket.

Stuffing the wet item of clothing into his locker, Sharpner was already concocting his next plan.

"What a doofus that kid is" muttered Sharpner under his breath, "I'll teach him to get me wet, time to show him who he's messing with."

Glancing in the mirror on the inside of his locker door, Sharpner admired his physique before slamming it closed and making his way to lunch.

Sharpner was already smirking to himself _"At least all the chicks can get a good long look at these muscles of mine now."_

Spotting Gohan up ahead about to enter the canteen, Sharpner ran up clapping him on the back as he walked through the door. "Hey man!" Sharpner cheered, a fake smile plastered across his face, "No hard feelings about the whole water thing, yeah?"

Oblivious, Gohan grinned in return at the blonde before heading towards the queue for lunch. "Gee thanks!"

"Sharpner, you didn't..."

Turning the buff jock saw an a very un-amused looking Videl enter the canteen behind him. "That's so immature, anyone would think you were in kindergarten."

Chuckling in victory he ignored his friends comments as he gazed back in Gohan's direction, a large piece of paper stuck to his back, with 'Kick me' hastily scribbled all over it. Already he could see Ash, one of the soccer players with long, wavy black hair closing in on the unsuspecting saiyajin...

# # # # #

"Brilliant idea Sharpy, real genius you are!" fumed Erasa as she and the sports jock left the nurse's office. "Instead of hurting poor, innocent Gohan – which by the way is totally uncalled for – you've gone and got Ash injured in his place!"

Standing in front of the teen, she tried to stare down her fellow blonde whilst he did his best to avoid her. "And isn't Ash supposed to be joining you and Videl after school today? Who are you going to get to fill in for him now?!"

Before Sharpner could get a word out, the confident voice of Satan City's beloved crime fighter reached his ears. "Isn't it obvious? We're taking Son Gohan."

Groaning with his shoulders hung in defeat, Sharpner turned to Videl, who had now reached the two blondes in the corridor. "Come off it Videl, that Gohan kid just got lucky. If Ash hadn't slipped up he wouldn't have sprained his ankle like that."

"Don't be an idiot Sharpner!" Videl shot back, "Ash didn't slip up, he nearly broke his foot when he tried to give Gohan a dead leg. There is something up with that kid, and we're going to find out what it is!"

Sighing, Sharpner waved his hand in defeat as he walked in the direction of his next class. "Fine Videl, have it your way. But the loser is your responsibility, I don't wanna be looking after some cry-baby when there's real work to be done."

A victorious smirk on her face, Videl watched Sharpner leave whilst Erasa's pleas to leave her latest crush out of her plans fell on deaf ears.

"_Time to see what you can do, Son Gohan!"_

# # # # #

"Hey Gohan, wait up!"

The spiky haired teenager turned to see the girl with jet black hair, yet striking blue eyes, running down the steps leading from the school entrance towards him, her pigtails trailing in the breeze behind her.

"_Now what? Today has been a disaster in terms of not drawing any attention to myself, the last thing I need is Videl making my life even more complicated...!"_

Putting a smile on his face, he stopped to let the girl catch up to him. "Hi Videl!"

Ignoring his greeting, Videl instead went straight back into interrogation mode. "So Gohan, once again you seem to have had a very _interesting_ day."

Laughing nervously Gohan looked down at the fiery girl, "Heh, yeah... funny that!"

"C'mon!" she instructed, grabbing hold of his wrist and leading him across to one of the benches where the two blondes currently sat; Sharpner doing his best to ignore the girl, whilst Erasa did everything she could to tell him the latest gossip.

"You're coming with us today Son Gohan."

Blinking, Gohan looked at the girl marching him across the courtyard. "Wha? Where are we going? What are we doing?"

Ignoring his questions, the daughter of Hercule came to a stop in front of her friends, a determined look on her face. "Ready for another round Sharpner?" she asked enthusiastically.

A look of thankfulness spread across his face as Videl's entrance interrupted the particular story that Erasa was reciting to him. Jumping up, the teenager pumped his muscles before slamming a fist into his palm, "I'm always ready Videl, just make sure you keep up with me this time!"

A cocky smirk passed between the two that reminded Gohan of the arrogant expression Vegeta often wore on his face. _"These guys really do have a strange friendship. One minute they're fighting, the next they seem to have some kind of unspoken determination that binds them all together..."_

Looking down at his wrist, he noticed that Videl still hadn't let go of him, and coughed to get her attention.

Turning to look at him, Videl quickly followed his gaze to where she still held him. Jumping a little startled, she instantly found the pavement beneath her feat extremely interesting. _"Oh great! I just didn't want him to escape, now he probably thinks I have some kind of crush on him. Which I obviously don't... obviously... dammit, focus Videl!"_

Examining the floor even more closely, Videl was suddenly rescued from her thoughts by Erasa. "Well, like, good luck you guys!" chirped the blonde!

Walking over to Videl, the bubbly girl leant in close, whispering in her ear with a tint of pink across her cheeks, "Please look after Gohan, ok?"

"Don't worry!" Videl grinned cockily, "I have a feeling I won't need to."

Coughing once again, Gohan desperately hoped he'd get an answer this time. "So.... what are we doing exactly?"

Sharpner laughed, yet again tossing his long blonde hair over his shoulder. "Well super nerd, _we_ are going to be participating in an... after-school club. _You_ are coming along to spectate."

Gohan nodded slowly, still not quite understanding what was going on. Before he could give it any further thought however, his attention was quickly drawn to the beeping watches around the wrists of all three teenagers stood before him.

Quickly reading some details that flashed up on her screen, Videl threw out a capsule from which a yellow jetcopter sprang forth. Shouting over the engine roaring to life, Videl motioned for Sharpner and Gohan to get in.

"It's the bank this time, let's move it!"

# # # # #

As the jetcopter flew over the bank, the three teens surveyed the scene before them. A myriad of destroyed squad cars with battered and bruised police officers scattered around them were at the front of the building, whilst a cloud of smoke billowed out from a hole in the side of the bank. In the distance, a car was weaving in and out of traffic at top speed.

Blasting after the vehicle, Videl was soon piloting the jetcopter skilfully through the streets of Satan City. Meanwhile, Gohan looked on at the sequence of events with a rather dumbstruck look on his face. _"I don't get it, is this place a city, or the film set for one of Goten's favourite action movies...?!"_

As the jetcopter closed in on the getaway car, Sharpner looked across at Videl knowingly. "So what's the plan this time Miss Hercule?"

"Oh you know me Sharpner, the usual!" she returned playfully. Quickly pushing the jetcopter into overdrive, the trio overtook the car before bringing themselves to an abrupt standstill in front of the oncoming vehicle.

With a loud screech the fast approaching getaway car slammed to a halt, almost toppling over before landing back on 4 wheels. The doors on the car opened as four teenagers, probably no older than Gohan by the looks of them, stepped out.

Videl and Sharpner immediately jumped from the jetcopter themselves, with Gohan slowly stepping out after them. Taking in the scene before him, the quad of crooks arrogantly strode towards them. One of them was a towering figure, easily standing a foot higher than Gohan, accompanied by two athletic blondes slightly shorter than himself, and a dark haired individual with far too much muscle for his own good. All of them wore a menacing look, but what attracted his attention more were the red bandanas that each of them wore around one of their arms.

"_Just like those students who attacked us during the open day..."_

Laughing, Sharpner tossed his hair to one side. "I don't recognise any of them Videl, must be a bunch of newbies. I get dibs on the big guy!"

Videl glanced at him before looking back at the approaching crooks, a grin clearly present on her face. "Always taking the big one's eh Sharpy? Anyone would think you were over-compensating for something!"

Before Sharpner could shoot back a retort Videl continued, "Fine by me, I'll take the two blondes." Without looking over her shoulder, she shouted to Gohan, "The guy with more muscle than brains is all yours Gohan!"

"What?!" the young saiyajin exclaimed, _"I can't do this! Mum will actually kill me this time!"_

Not able to voice his objections in time, he watched as Sharpner lunged towards the towering teen and Videl gracefully leapt in between the two blondes. A fist heading his way snapped him from the spectacle, and he narrowly dodged as the punch sailed past his face. Quickly ducking and evading, Gohan was now manoeuvring in and out of a flurry of kicks and punches that were headed his way.

Unable to decide on a sensible course of action, the young saiyajin simply continued to avoid the strikes sent in his direction until his well-built opponent stopped with a scream.

"Enough! Try dodging this one asshole!"

A look of confusion on Gohan's face was quickly replaced by one of utter disbelief as a glowing ball of ki began to gather in the hands of the teenager before him. As the energy launched from his assailants hands, he quickly bent over backwards, watching as the beam impacted with the wall behind him, covering them in dust and debris.

Deciding he'd had enough, Gohan was about to launch a blast of his own at his attacker, when a bright light hit the dark haired youth from behind, knocking him unconscious.

Looking past the crumpled body on the floor, Gohan could see Sharpner standing a few meters away, hand out-stretched, eyes closed and cocky grin on his face.

"See Videl, I told you he wasn't some superhero..." the long haired blonde laughed, clearly amused, "He's just a geek."

# # # # #

Well there you have it, Chapter 4 is complete. It certainly came out a lot lengthier than previous chapters, and I'm hoping I haven't substituted any kind of quality I had for quantity. I felt it all needed to be said though, and it's paving the way for the events that will unravel as the story moves on...


	5. Sweet Dreams Videl

**Smoke And Mirrors**

**Chapter 5: Sweet Dreams Videl**

**By raicho**

# # # # #

"So the almighty _'wonderboy'_ has graced us with his presence again."

The demi-saiyajin grinned rather sheepishly at the smirking Sharpner as he sat down at his desk for first period; an hour of physics with the large, rotund and ever smiling Mr Ings. Pulling a pen and notepad from his bag he placed them neatly in front of himself before turning back to the long haired teenager.

"Erm... yeah, listen, about yesterday... what happened exactly?"

Sharpner grinned before leaning back in his chair, arms folded behind his head, "I saved your butt is what happened dude. But don't worry, saving people like you from the bad guys is never a chore. I mean, that's why we do what we do."

Before he could respond Gohan was almost launched from his seat as it was dragged backwards and an overly concerned face framed with golden cropped hair consumed his vision.

"Oh my gosh, Gohan! Are you hurt? Is anything broken? Are you sure you're alright to be at school?!"

Leaning back to escape the onslaught from the bubbling teen, Gohan gently pushed her away and guided Erasa to her chair next to him before breathing a small sigh of relief.

"I'm fine Erasa, not a scratch. But I still don't understand what happened?"

Completely ignoring his comment, Erasa did an about face to find Sharpner with an amused look on his face. "And thank you so much Sharpner for looking out for him! I told Videl taking poor little Gohan was a silly idea, but that girl never listens! And speak of the devil..."

Erasa's beaming features quickly turned to an ice cold glare as her gaze locked onto the raven haired girl making her way up the stairs to their row. Meanwhile the feisty crime fighter was doing everything possible to ignore the stare she was receiving from her best friend. After sliding through to her seat, greeting Sharpner, rummaging through her bag, checking her watch and fiddling with the bottom of her t-shirt she finally gave in to the relentless blonde beside her.

"Fine Erasa! You were right, I was wrong and I'm sorry!" the young crime fighter blurted out. "Gohan is obviously not who I thought he was, and... well I... I'm sorry."

Maintaining her gaze on her childhood friend for a few moments more, Erasa finally caved and cracked a smile before giving Videl a small hug and sitting back down again.

"It's ok I forgive you, just don't do it again!"

Satisfied she turned once again to the topic of their conversation, who still had a confused expression etched across his face.

"Don't worry Gohan, I know what you went through can be a scary experience for some people, but like, me and Sharpy will keep an eye on you from now on and you'll be just totally fine!"

Gohan blinked before turning his attention to Mr Ings who had just entered the class. He had a much better chance of understanding advanced physics than he did teenage girls.

# # # # #

Unfortunately for poor Gohan, the day didn't get any less confusing.

It was almost as if Sharpner and Videl had switched bodies, with the girl who had spent all of day one interrogating him for information practically ignoring him throughout all of their classes. Sharpner on the other hand, although maintaining his practice of calling him names, seemed to be warming up to the spiky haired teen rather quickly; sharing jokes, idle chit-chat and quizzing the 'bookworm' on their latest algebra assignment.

To make matters worse, Erasa had latched herself onto his arm for the majority of the day. He'd hoped that however inconvenient it was, he could get some information out of her about what happened at the bank. Instead though he only ever got responses about random television shows, school kids he'd never even heard of, and continual comments about his physique that made his cheeks tint a rosy colour every time.

As Gohan strolled out of the main doors and into the sunshine for lunch break, he was once again under the scrutiny of the animated girl wrapped around his arm.

"I just can't believe how totally toned you are Gohan, you must work out a lot I'm sure!"

Trying his best to ignore the comment, Gohan strolled across to a tree on the far side of the grounds, gracefully lowering himself onto a shady patch of grass – his blonde 'partner' hurriedly sitting down next to him. Shuffling across to try and get at least a few millimetres distance between himself and his pursuer, he decided to once again try for some answers.

"So, ummmm, Erasa, I'm flattered that you want to spend so much time with me and tell me about yourself and stuff, but do you think you could tell me at least something about what happened at the bank yesterday?"

The usually vibrant girl sighed looking at the grass beneath her, before staring into the piercing gaze from the midnight eyes before her.

"You're really not gonna give up on this are you?"

Seeing him shaking his head with a solemn expression, Erasa started ripping blades of grass out from the ground and twirling it through her fingers before looking back at the boy before her.

"Ok so what do you want to know?"

With a smile of accomplishment, Gohan faulted as he suddenly realised he didn't exactly know how to begin.

"How about... Sharpner and Videl. What is this 'after-school club' exactly?"

Nodding the blonde girl flicked a piece of grass away before focussing her attention on the question.

"Ok, so like, it's obviously not an after-school club. It goes back for years. For as long as anyone can remember there's always been this like, rivalry between Orange Star High and Riverside High."

Tossing another piece of grass away, the teenage girl continued. "A few years back though, things started to get really bad, with fights between students and things like that, so the mayor's office came up with a load of rules banning us from going to each others campus's and from certain areas of the city."

Picking a flower instead this time, Erasa began to idly pluck it's petals. "Things just got like, even worse though, because Riverside students started forming these gangs and messing up neighbourhoods, soon it turned to minor crime, and now it is what you see today; ripping off banks and companies and such."

Flicking away the stem of the flower, Erasa looked at Gohan to see an enquiring look on his face. The blonde quickly chirped up, beating him to his next question.

"But what you really wanted to know about was the _'magic tricks and light shows'_ right?"

"_Magic tricks and light shows? That's how Hercule describes how we 'cheat' – but she must obviously know there's more to it than that..."_ Gohan thought, nodding to Erasa to continue.

"Well this might shock you a bit, but Hercule was wrong. It's not just an illusion, smoke and mirrors, whatever. It's like, something you can do if you really work hard at training yourself up" the blonde stated matter-of-factly.

"About four years ago during a fight with some guys from Riverside, Videl was hit by one of those light beams. She realised then that they're totally real, and began pushing herself to be able to do the same. After doing a lot of research and training she like, did it herself, and since then she's taught the rest of us how to do it too."

Gohan blinked, dumbstruck, before another thought entered his head. "Wait a minute, you said 'us'. You can do it too?"

Grinning from ear to ear, Erasa reached an arm out towards the tree before shooting out a small blast, scorching the bark and wobbling the tree enough to bring a few leaves down into Gohan's gravity-defying hair. He failed to notice his new leafy headgear though, a surprised expression carved into his face.

Erasa let out a small sigh, lowering her face to try and hide her disappointment.

"Gohan, I have to confess we were all a little bit hopeful about you... when Videl thought you beat up that guy, when I saw you pull that locker out of the wall, when we heard your name... we thought you might be one of those people that knew about this stuff, but judging from the look on your face we were wrong."

Gohan scratched the back of his head nervously, processing what he'd just heard. After a moment something caught his attention, something that pushed him beyond nervous and into an almost panicked state.

"Gosh, I'm sorry I disappointed you, but I really am just an _'ordinary bookworm'_ as Sharpner would say. That student I supposedly beat up, the locker coming out of the wall... all just coincidence."

Audibly gulping without trying to look too conspicuous, the young demi-saiyajin prepared for his next question, "So why would my name be of interest to you...?"

The blonde smiled a faint smile at him before waving her hand nonchalantly, "It's nothing, forget I said it..."

Without realising, Gohan adopted his younger brothers trademark pout, refusing to let Erasa dismiss it so easily.

Staring into the most convincing set of puppy-dog eyes she'd ever seen, Erasa gave an exasperated sigh before agreeing to continue.

"Fine, fine, just wipe that look off your face before it kills me! Remember how I said we did some research into the light beams? Well we like, found out it goes back for generations. There are schools of martial arts rumoured to teach it, and it's been used before in the World Martial Arts Tournaments. One of the most famous users was a previous champion, a man named Son Goku."

Gohan's face paled considerably. Panic at nearly being discovered so nearly on combined with amazement that he'd somehow ended up in a high school where supposedly 'normal' humans knew how to use ki, let alone the fact that his father was an expert in it.

Gohan was knocked from his thoughts as the bell rang, signalling the end of lunch. As the two teenagers climbed to their feet and slowly made their way through the throng of students, Gohan's companion had gone back to her usual animated self.

"It's like so crazy it's beyond belief really, all of this power and stuff is kinda magical! We had to do like loads of research on it, but most of what we found out we were told, and you'd like, never guess who it was that told us...!"

# # # # #

The bell signalling the end of the day couldn't come fast enough for Gohan, and as soon as he had left the classroom he was racing through the halls and up the stairwell to the roof of the building, where he immediately blasted off into the sky. Erasa's final words from lunch still echoed in his mind.

Muttering to himself, Gohan ignored the surprised looks he got from passers by below as he jetted across the Satan City skyline, "I can't believe this, how on earth could all of this of happened? It's ridiculous... that man is gonna have a lot of explaining to do!"

Within a matter of minutes the irate saiyajin found himself at his destination, and began his descent into the stadium beneath him. Surely enough, his target was exactly where he expected.

"Hey Gohan my man, long time no see!"

Ignoring the greeting, Gohan glared at the man standing in the 'Bandits' baseball gear before him, "You!"

Blinking, the man stared at him for a moment before responding.

"Yes Gohan. Me Yamcha. Your friend. You remember?" the man punctuated in a perplexed tone.

"The friend thing is questionable! Do you know that thanks to you I've had students interrogating me left, right and center because you decided to give them a little lesson in ki blasts and the Son family tree?!" the demi-saiyajin ranted, unable to control his frustration.

Yamcha blinked, staring at the obviously upset teen, racking his brain for any kind of clue as to what he was talking about. Lightly bouncing the bat in his hand against the rim of his baseball cap, the former rogue, now pro-ball player pondered what had been said.

"Ohhhhhh...." he began, realisation slowly dawning on him, "You're talking about those kids who came to talk to me a few years back...?"

"Yes!" Gohan shouted back, "Those kids who are now shooting at each other and me with ki blasts, and suspecting me of being exactly who I really am and knowing all about my family!"

"Chill out dude, I barely told them a thing. It was so brief I barely remember it! They came, asked a few questions about the Kame style, the World Tournament's and the Cell Games..."

Gohan's face fell for a moment at the mention of the battle that he'd rather erase from his memories, before once again replacing the mask of irritation on his face.

"And what about my dad? They sure seem to know a lot about the _legendary_ Son Goku, what did you tell them?!"

"Hey, if anything you owe me on that one buddy."

Gohan faltered for a moment, looking at Yamcha questioningly. "What do you mean...?"

Yamcha sighed, distracting himself by giving his bat a couple of swings, "Ah forget it dude, it's nothing."

Gohan let out an exasperated sigh, thinking back to Erasa's similar response, "Is it _'Ignore Gohan's Questions Day'_ or something? Tell me."

The baseball player looked at the young teen for a minute before caving in, "Ok, so I told them that Goku had been a student of the Kame school. They wanted to meet him, but I told them that Goku and all of his family were killed during the Cell Games..."

Quirking an eyebrow, the young saiyajin stared at his friend questioningly.

"Dude, you were cut up pretty bad about Goku's death for quite a while you know. I figured the last thing you needed was people bothering you about it..."

"Oh..." Gohan trailed off, staring at the ground and immediately finding the batters box something worthy of further investigation. Thoughts of the past few years flooded the young teen's mind. After his father's death a lot of the spark in his life seemed to disappear, and it had only just occurred to him that the Z Fighters probably had a lot to do with how much he'd recovered since then. His thoughts were interrupted as a strong hand clapped him on the back, looking up he found he couldn't stay angry at the man before him.

"Gohan man. We're all proud of you, you're not just your father's son, you're Son Gohan, and I know Goku's just as proud."

A grin found it's way back onto the young saiyajin's face as he in turn clapped Yamcha on the back, almost flattening him in the process. Scratching the back of his head apologetically with the classic Son grin, Gohan bid farewell to his friend before blasting off towards home.

Jetting back across the Satan City skyline, he was once again unaware of the citizens beneath him. In particular a select few who were again meeting secretly in a dimly lit warehouse.

# # # # #

Craig stood tall, his subordinates slightly behind him on either side. After spending 3 hours in the dreaded chamber, he had forced both himself and his underlings back into the chamber every week since his defeat at the hands of Videl and the dorky looking teenager with gravity defying hair. He desperately hoped that his efforts would push him back into the good books of both Kiyonari and the boss.

Kiyonari had eventually given him his silent approval, and now they stood together in amongst crates of stolen goods, awaiting their next assignment.

Glancing behind him at his fellow students, his head was snapped back to the front, his long black hair flicking behind him as a coldly amused voice spoke out from the shadows.

"Nice to see you on your feet again Craig."

Gulping, the teenager simply stood motionless, knowing better than to speak out of turn.

"Kiyonari has been raving non-stop about how much you and your team have stepped up since your last little... mishap, shall we say."

Craig remained motionless as Kiyonari looked on, rolling his eyes at the boss' continual use of sarcastic comedy. He remembered the conversation well, and it had simply been an exchange of "He's ready" And "Good". Kiyonari never raved.

"I've got a rather important job for you this time, one that cannot afford to go wrong, yet has every chance of doing so. Kiyonari, you'll accompany them." the voice stated, throwing an electronic pad to the statuesque man before fading away into the darkness.

Without a word Craig and his two subordinates gathered around Kiyonari who proceeded to push a button on the pad. A hologram immediately projected above them with detailed schematics of a large complex. Glancing to the side of the diagram before them, they read over the mission objectives; secure a new positronic prototype that was being developed at the premises. The building itself was located on the far side of the city, reading the company name Kiyonari nodded slowly before deactivating the hologram. This assignment would definitely require the utmost precision...

"We move tomorrow night."

# # # # #

A new dawn and a new day had arrived. Despite the bizarre nature of practically everything around him – no life force to be detected anywhere, students fighting crime and energy blasts flying around left, right and center – Gohan was actually starting to enjoy himself, and it was only day three of his first week.

As the spiky haired teen placed a mammoth pile of books into his locker, he mused that it probably had something to with the fact he'd had quite a bizarre upbringing. He'd probably feel more out of place if everything was the way it was supposed to be.

Or perhaps it was because he was an ordinary boy here. After his discussion with Yamcha the young super saiyajin had decided it would definitely be best to heed his mothers advice and remain incognito – the people here were ignorant of his past and what he had done. It was a chance to live a few hours of his life each day as someone who wasn't one of the most powerful fighters in the universe.

With a smile on his face he turned to leave, only to find himself flat on his back as a strong force slammed into him.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry Gohan! Are you ok?!"

Brushing himself down as he climbed back up again, Gohan just grinned at the ditzy blonde in front of him. _"Speech faster than the human ear can hear, ridiculous strength and one of the zaniest personalities... definitely reminds me of Goten."_

Grinning at the girl in front of him, his expression quickly changed to one of meekness as his gaze fell to the raven-haired beauty behind her, a disinterested look on her face.

"So like, me and Videl were gonna go grab some ice cream! Wanna come?"

"Sure!" Gohan replied energetically at the mention of food, before once again dropping the happy exterior as a scowl appeared across the face of Videl Satan, "...errrm... as long as Videl doesn't mind...?"

Rolling her eyes the daughter of the champ turned before heading off out of the school doors, "Whatever."

# # # # #

A few sundae's later, an animated Erasa was still talking about random gossip whilst Gohan nodded along mindlessly. Videl maintained the cold and silent treatment, opening her mouth on occasion to answer a question from her friend or make an occasional (negative) comment about the boy who had recently become her least favourite person.

"_Why is Erasa still interested in this kid"_ Videl pondered, following after the two teenagers in front of her as they left the ice cream parlour. _"Not only did he make me look like an idiot, he's a complete liability. A bookworm, just like Sharpner said."_

Her gaze quickly caught onto a movement out of the corner of her eye. Focussing on the subject of her thoughts, something nagged away at the back of her mind. The supposed doofus had dodged around an oncoming pedestrian, his footwork manoeuvring around the person with a flawless grace.

"_Yet something isn't right about him. He's surrounded by so many _'coincidences'_, Son isn't exactly the most common of family names, and we've all seen what he's hiding under that shirt in gym class..."_

Before she could even realise that the last of her thoughts had brought the slightest of tints to her cheeks, her concentration was disrupted as her watch beeped to life. Scanning through the readout, she cursed to herself before looking at the expectant Erasa.

"Erasa, Riverside are hitting a research lab. We're really close and it would take too long to call in someone else..." a look of guilt swept across the raven haired girl's features, "Do you think you could come instead – I know you said you didn't want to do it anymore, but you're the only one I've got..."

Nodding and smiling faintly, the blonde adopted a serious expression, one which Gohan couldn't help but be intrigued by. Noticing his focus was now on her, Erasa turned to the teen towering above her.

"Sorry to cut things short Gohan, but we've gotta dash. You should head home and stay out of harms way."

Watching the two girls decapsulise a copter and blast off towards the Satan City highway, it didn't take very long for Gohan to come to a decision.

"_Incognito or not, I have to make sure they're ok."_

Mirroring Erasa's look of determination, he quickly blasted off after the yellow copter.

# # # # #

Dropping through a window in the roof of the research lab, Videl and Erasa crouched down in a long white hallway, the artificial light gleaming off of the bright surfaces all around them.

Motioning in a direction that led further into the complex, Videl got a nod from her sidekick before running down the corridor, their footsteps barely heard as they hit the tiled surface beneath them. Stopping at a junction, Videl quickly consulted a map of the building which the police had provided her with before continuing onwards.

Thoughts plagued her mind as she recalled the last time Riverside had tried this kind of an endeavour – they'd barely made it into the building before the security  
teams had detained them. Coming back here seemed like such a brash decision, but at the same time she had a sinking feeling that things would work out very differently this time.

As they entered a foyer, a company plaque on the far side of the wall helped to hit home her recollections of the time before.

Capsule Corporation.

# # # # #

Gohan silently dropped through the skylight that the two girls had entered previously, a dumbstruck look still on his face.

"_I can't believe we're in a Capsule Corp building, Bulma's security – not to mention the infamous wrath of Vegeta – is generally more than enough to safeguard what she does."_

Heading off in a direction that appeared to lead further into the lab Gohan quickly set about trying to find his classmates, a sense of foreboding beginning to creep through him.

# # # # #

The two girls that Gohan sought were currently crouched down behind a set of double doors, beyond which they had managed to see two men standing watch while a third tapped away at a control panel.

Videl had instantly recognised the one at the control panel, his long black hair cascading wildly down his back at all angles; Craig. Cocky, loudmouthed and for all intents and purposes, a jerk. Sharpner's comment of 'loser' from the day before seemed very appropriate.

Still, she couldn't get complacent and overlook his skill. Despite all of that he was still an accomplished fighter, who she shamefully recalled had pushed her to her limits when they had last fought during the spring break.

"_And that was at Sigma Corporation, yet another company on the forefront of new technologies..."_ the thought left her mind as quickly as it had entered. She would consider whether this was a coincidence or a pattern after she'd pounded the Riverside student into the ground.

Looking across to Erasa she saw a nervous look on her face. When fighting non-stop had become too much of a burden on the blonde's state of mind, she had decided to step back from the patrols and crime fighting to concentrate on managing their efforts behind the scenes instead. It had been well over a year since she'd been in a situation like this, and Videl was beginning to wonder whether bringing her into this had been a mistake.

As if sensing the thoughts of the troubled girl, Erasa gave her friend a small smile, "Don't worry V, you take the guy on the left, I'll take the one on the right, and then it's just Craig, and he's totally yours."

Nodding in agreement the two mouthed a countdown from three before bursting through the doors into the lab.

# # # # #

Craig tapped furiously at the console in front of him. Technology had never been one of his strengths, and although hacking into the Capsule Corpation systems was supposed to be easy considering the equipment he'd been given, he still couldn't help but pull at his hair in frustration.

It was a short lived feeling however, as Craig found himself startled from all directions; an error glared on the screen in front of him whilst a crashing sound could be heard either side from behind him.

Whirling around to face the commotion, the Riverside student was less than amused to see one of his companions crumpled on the floor with a victorious Videl standing above him, whilst his other lackey swapped punches with a blonde teen he vaguely recognised.

Smirking he immediately took a stance in front of the raven-haired crimefighter, "It's good to see you again Videl, I've been looking forward to picking up where we left off in the car park all those weeks ago."

Grinning back at the cocky fighter in front of her, Videl dropped into a stance herself, "If we're beginning where we left off, then I had better put you face down in the dirt again where you belong."

The smirk dropping from his face, Craig let out a roar as he launched himself at Videl. She instantly fell back, surprised at the increased speed Craig was demonstrating. The backwards motion put her on the defensive, and she quickly found herself parrying kicks and blocking punches from every direction, barely able to avoid the attacks thrown at her.

"_This is unreal, how on earth has he improved so much in just a month?!"_ Videl barely had time to consider the question though as an opening in Craig's defences gave her the opportunity to switch onto the offensive. Soon the two opponents were darting from one side of the room to the other, seemingly just a blur of motion to the untrained eye.

Across the room, Erasa panted heavily as both her and her opponent stepped back from each other wearily, eyeing each other and waiting for the next move.

"_This is like, totally so not me anymore. Maybe I should've kept up my training after all..."_

Strengthening her posture, Erasa braced herself for a second onslaught as the equally exhausted teen opposite her leapt in to attack again.

# # # # #

Gohan stood aimlessly in a Capsule Corporation corridor, scratching his head in the classic Son manner and trying to figure out where to head next. Not having the ability to sense ki was seriously beginning to grate on the young saiyajin.

On the brink of sending a curse better left unsaid in Dende's general direction, his keen sense of hearing suddenly made out the sounds and screams that accompanied only one thing; combat.

Taking off in that direction, Gohan decided against insulting his green friend, instead sending a silent prayer in the hopes that he'd get there before it was too late.

# # # # #

A blinding light filled the room, causing both Videl and Craig to distance themselves from each other. On the far side of the room, Craig's remaining accomplice was an unconscious smoking heap on the floor.

Meters away stood Erasa. The fight had pushed her to her limits and beyond, and she had had no choice but to force every bit of energy she could summon into one attack. The effort had left the ditzy blonde drained, and she wobbled before dropping to her knees. Eyelids drooping and darkness quickly consuming her vision, Erasa too collapsed to the floor, slipping into unconsciousness.

"ERASA!" Videl ran over to her friend, only to feel an energy blast strike her from behind, knocking the raven-haired girl down onto her hands and knees.

Glaring in fury at Craig behind her, the boundaries between her body and life force momentarily collapsed as a surge of energy rushed through her very being and focussed into a ball of energy. Letting loose an almighty scream, Videl fired the energy blast across the room and into Craig, slamming him into the wall opposite.

The pain was unbearable and Craig could feel the energy as it began burning into his flesh. Pinned between the wall and ki blast, he desperately tried to force the energy away from himself. Grunting in pain, he felt the wall behind him begin to crumble. Moments later the wall collapsed and the long haired fighter was thrown to the ground on the other side, rubble and debris falling on top of him.

Bursting from the pile in a roar of anger, Craig was about to charge Videl once more when a hand on his shoulder stopped him. Looking to his left, he followed the hand to it's owner; Kiyonari.

"I thought I told you to hack into the computer system Craig" the older teen said in an ice cold tone.

"What about Videl?" Craig shot back, infuriated at not being able to continue his fight with Satan City's young heroine.

"I'll deal with her" Kiyonari replied, stepping through the hole in the wall and heading towards the young girl now crouched over Erasa.

Hearing the footsteps approaching her from behind and satisfied for the moment that Erasa's breathing was at least steady, she prepared for Craig's second assault. Clenching her fist tightly she waited until her assailant was directly behind her before spinning around with a ferocious punch.

The attack stopped short, caught in the gloved hand of a man she had not expected to see.

"Ki.. Kiyonari..." Videl stuttered out, eyes wide, taking in the man who had casually halted her attack.

"Hello again Miss Satan" Kiyonari replied cooly.

Before Videl had a chance to react, Kiyonari's leg had shot upwards and struck her in the midriff. Doubling over in pain, she was forced back onto her knees as she felt her energy rapidly slipping away from her after just one blow.

At the panel towards the rear of the room, Craig yelled in triumph as the computer gave way to the equipment designed to crack through its security systems. Moments later a pedestal materialised in front of him; on top of it sat the positronic prototype they had been sent for.

"Kiyonari! I've got it!"

His leader simply nodded in acknowledgement, still looking down on the city's saviour. Building up an energy ball in his hands, Kiyonari took aim at the girl beneath him.

"Sweet dreams Videl."

# # # # #

I'm back and in a writing mood! I hope that wasn't too much of a cliffhanger, and that the storyline isn't proving too confusing. This chapter came out a lot longer than planned, but there was a lot to tell! I've now done some corrections to previous chapters as well as uploaded this one; I'm hopeful that I can maintain this momentum and get chapter 6 online shortly!

Thank you to everyone who has reviewed my story to date. I'm glad I'm able to vent my imagination in a way others can enjoy, and the feedback thus far has been very encouraging. I'm glad you're all intrigued, and just to clarify, Sharpy will definitely be put in his place eventually, and Buu will not be appearing – I have something else in mind... so stay tuned!


	6. I'll Make You Proud Dad

**Smoke And Mirrors**

**Chapter 6: I'll Make You Proud Dad**

**By raicho**

# # # # #

As Gohan rounded the corner of yet another corridor he came face-to-face with a doorway. Only this doorway was minus the doors. In the room beyond it was pure carnage; debris was scattered, sparks flew from damaged circuitry in the walls and bodies were strewn across the floor.

Movement across the room immediately caught his eye, and recognition instantly appeared on his face as he saw a man that he remembered quite clearly. The Riverside student who attacked him during his open day at Orange Star High was furiously disconnecting cables from a device on a pedestal.

Ripping away the final vestiges of wiring connected to the device, smug triumph appeared on the hardened teenagers face as he shouted over his shoulder.

"Kiyonari! I've got it!"

This was when Gohan's attention snapped to a man standing on the other side of the room. Without his senses to guide him Gohan quickly sized up the man, presumably Kiyonari, and didn't like what he saw. He was tall, broad shouldered and had sharp features framed by short hair which gave him a somewhat thuggish look.

On closer inspection though, the man seemed far less thug-like than Gohan initially assumed. Taking in his facial features in more detail, Gohan instantly saw the cold and calculating face of a hardened fighter. His face showed no emotion what-so-ever, but his eyes told a very different story. Beneath them he could easily see the power and arrogance that came from a man who had exerted a great deal of force over others.

Gohan's eyes widened as a ball of light appeared in the man's hand, and it was only then the young saiyajin realised what the focus of his attention was. Slumped over on her knees before him was Videl. She clutched at her body in obvious pain, her teeth were clenched and she was breathing in short, shallow breaths.

"Sweet dreams Videl."

The words echoed throughout the room and rang through Gohan's ears as the beam of energy in Kiyonari's hands intensified and unleashed itself onto Videl, her scream resounding off of the walls.

Instinct took over for Gohan as he let loose a scream of his own, only this one more guttural and filled with a righteous fury. Thoughts of all the innocents he had seen suffer at the hands of evil flooded his mind, and as an aura exploded from around his body, his hair shot upright and the untameable black locks snapped into an almost unreal gold.

Kiyonari's gaze bolted straight to the doorway only to make out a golden blur as it seemingly disappeared in front of his very eyes. Opening his mouth to call Craig, the man didn't even get the chance to produce a sound as a force unlike anything he had ever felt slammed into him, hurtling him across the room and through a number of walls into a wing on the far side of the building.

Craig had been about to blast his way out the building when a horrific scream and the sound of exploding concrete caused him to whirl around and lock eyes on a fearful sight. Turquoise and gold burned into his vision as a sense of foreboding quickly took hold.

Gohan didn't have time to consider the expression on his face as he built up energy in the palm of his hand. Preparing to hurl the attack at the man shrinking into the corner before him, the furious super saiyajin was cut short as a groan brought his attention to the needs of the woman he had rescued.

Instantly crouching down beside her, Craig was forgotten, and the man quickly made his escape through the hole in the wall, made moments ago by the forceful exit by his superior.

Videl looked as though she were on the brink of death as she squinted upwards in pain at her saviour. A distorted face could be made out, surrounded by a glowing halo of golden hair. Attempting to lift her arm to touch the apparition before her, she merely managed to lift it inches off of the floor. Straining her throat, she forced her vocal chords to emit some kind of sound.

"Go... gold..."

Letting go of a shallow breath, Videl's hand dropped to the floor along with her head as she fell into unconsciousness.

Gohan's eyes widened as she fell, "Videl!"

Instantly putting his ear down to her face, he was relieved to still hear and feel shallow breathing coming from the young heroine. Placing his hand on her chest he suddenly stopped before doing what once would have come naturally to him.

"_Can I transfer some of my energy to her...? It could be dangerous, there's no way to be certain how much I'm giving her without being able to sense the life force coming from the both of us..."_

Hesitation lingering in his mind, another look at the broken and beaten Videl gave him all the resolve he needed. He might not be able to sense life force, but it was painfully obvious that Videl was on the brink and needed help; it was worth the risk.

Slowly pushing out energy through his hand and increasing it as gradually as he possibly could, a unified glow slowly came over the two of them. Gohan's relief grew as her breathing steadied and became deeper. He was no Dende, but this would at least buy Videl some much needed time.

Before the young demi-saiyajin could decide on his next course of action, the sounds of boots hitting the floor hard echoed through the corridors and moments later Gohan found himself surrounded by a platoon of security guards, all of whom were pointing extremely menacing looking weaponry at him.

Taking one last look down at Videl on the floor and reassuring himself that she was out of immediate danger, Gohan gave a slight wave of his hand to the security forces surrounding him before phasing out of the room and out of sight.

# # # # #

The CEO of Capsule Corps slammed the receiver down on the phone before doing an about turn and storming through the corridors of her home. Punching a code into the panel by the side of a high-security door which subsequently opened. Stepping into her personal lab the woman quickly started rummaging through her collection of capsules.

She was startled from her thoughts and jumped in shock as a hand tapped her on the shoulder. Turning she came face-to-face with the eldest son of her childhood friend.

"Hi Bulma."

Irritation rapidly replaced the shocked look on her face as she quickly turned back to the capsules before her.

"Sorry Gohan, but I can't talk now. Somebody has just broken into our research lab in Satan City."

"I know."

Not even listening to the teenager, Bulma continued rummaging through the capsules.

"Go make a sandwich or something. I can't believe those imbeciles let someone break in. How can so many guards, who I might add get paid a lot of money, let some stupid kids break into MY lab. I tell you Gohan, some heads are going to roll."

"Bulma, I know..."

The scientist grew frustrated as she continued throwing capsules around left, right and center. "Where on earth did I put that stupid hover car, I know it's in here somewhere..."

Not getting through to the woman, Gohan raised his voice a little higher, "Bulma!"

"WHAT!" the blue haired woman snapped back, extremely flustered.

Shrinking back slightly at her tone, the young saiyajin instantly smiled meekly at the glare she was sending his way.

"I said I know. I was at your lab during the break-in."

Her face faltering, Bulma stepped towards the fearful Son with a questioning look on her face.

"What do you mean you were there? What happened? What did they take? Why didn't you stop them?"

Shrinking back further from the tirade launched at him, Gohan motioned for her to sit on a lab stool, "Take a seat for this one Bulma and I'll try to explain what happened. But in all honesty I'm still having trouble understanding it all myself..."

# # # # #

"You may have been successful in your job Kiyonari, but don't go thinking that victory can make up for a distinct lack of style."

The owner of the voice was apparently amused, and brushed a dark strand of hair out of his eyes whilst looking over the positronic device now resting in his hands. Tossing it into the air and catching it again as though it were nothing but a baseball, the boss' steely eyes locked onto the two fighters before him.

Kiyonari, the first boy he'd taken under his wing was stooped over on one side, pain etched across his face and dust covered his clothing. Beside him stood that newer boy; although covered in cuts and bruises he was surprised to see that he was in much better condition. Craig was usually the one who screwed things up, so he could only imagine that once again the blame would be pointed squarely in his direction. A smirk made its way onto his face as he watched the teenager visibly shake a little under his gaze.

"I'm guessing the dust and stupor isn't some kind of fashion statement Kiyonari, so do tell, what happened?"

Thoughts raced through Kiyonari's mind as he looked up at the boss before him. He was in two minds about what to say, he had his suspicions about what had happened and if he was right the boss was not going to be happy.

The boss was a notoriously stoic individual, his trademark smirk often seen as a mask covering the cold, heartless man beneath. Kiyonari knew all too well though that his icy persona was in fact yet another layer, one that covered a unrivalled hatred and thirst for vengeance beyond anything he'd ever be able to comprehend himself.

"_I don't need to face that kind of wrath right now... he can find out another day."_

His answer determined Kiyonari pulled himself up to look into the eyes of his superior, "It wa-"

"A Z-fighter!" Craig blurted out.

The boss' eye immediately twitched, whilst Kiyonari looked on his subordinate in horror at the untimely revelation.

"We don't know that Craig, so why don't you keep your mouth shut!"

Craig began to counter, "But what els-"

"SILENCE!" the usually refrained man before them erupted. His eyes angrily gazed into nothing, lost in the thoughts of distant memories and the potential future now looming ahead.

Refocusing his mind on the here and now, his eyes turned back to his subordinate, who had a reservedly nervous look adding to his dusty and hunched over appearance.

"Don't toy with me Kiyonari, I want to know exactly what happened, and it had better be good…"

Gulping, Kiyonari looked into the fierce, calculating eyes piercing right into his own, and raised himself upright as best as he could, breathing deeply before beginning.

"It… may have been a golden fighter… After I finished Satan a yellow blur of energy erupted behind us. I was quickly knocked out of the room, but before he could engage Craig his attention was distracted by Videl. During that moment we made our escape." Gulping he quickly added, "The mission was not compromised."

The boss thought over the brief report not once averting his sight from the worried man before him. _"There are only four possibilities… two are no longer here, and one would not be distracted by such pitiful humans. That leaves only the kid… this could still be manageable."_

Kiyonari and Craig let out a silent sigh of relief as their leader unclenched his fists and gradually relaxed his tightened shoulders. Flicking the hair out of his eyes, he turned and walked away, nonchalantly waving a hand over his shoulder to dismiss them.

"Increase the training regime. I want every fighter in the chamber each and every day from now onwards."

# # # # #

"You're just going to have to follow them everywhere they go." the scientist concluded, cupping her chin in thought.

Blinking, Gohan stared at the stern figure before him. "But Bulma, I'm trying to go to school incognito, I can't be following them around everywhere, they might find out my secrets…"

Bulma stared at the sorry looking teen sat opposite her with a puzzled and slightly irritated look. "Why would that matter Gohan? It seems like your classmates have some secrets of their own, this is the perfect opportunity for you to be yourself!"

Gohan sighed and lowered his gaze, "I know Bulma, and part of me wants to help them. But not only would mum kill me, I was really hoping I forget could forget my past for once and be… you know, an ordinary kid for a change."

Motherly instincts caused Bulma to ease up on the demi-saiyajin as she looked into the onyx eyes that seemed to be simultaneously pleading, hopeful and guilt-ridden. She couldn't blame the boy for wanting a life that everyone else took for granted.

"Why don't you go home for your dinner and stop by again tomorrow after school Gohan, I think I may have the perfect solution for you."

Immediately perking up at the prospect of a good meal, Gohan bounded over to Bulma embracing her in a hug before dashing out the door, calling over his shoulder as he left. "Thanks Bulma! See you tomorrow!"

Smiling softly, the blue-haired genius crossed the room to her desk, setting about her latest task, _"Anything for you kiddo…"_

# # # # #

As the teenage saiyajin landed on the rooftop of Orange Star High the following morning, his thoughts were instantly drawn to his two classmates. Having seen ZTV after returning home the night before, he knew that both Videl and Erasa had been taken to a secure medical facility following the incident at Capsule Corporation. Both were said to be in a critical but stable condition.

Making his way down the stairwell he wondered if Sharpener might be able to provide him with more information on their condition. _"Perhaps I could visit Korin and get them some senzu beans…"_

Lost in thought Gohan strode into his classroom and made the ascent to his seat, oblivious to the commotion surrounding him. Dropping his bag on the desk and taking his seat, the young saiyajin proceeded to dig out his trusty pen whilst greeting the girl sat next to him.

"Good morning Erasa."

Pausing what he was doing, a look of confusion crossed his face. _"Wait a second…"_

Turning to his right indeed there sat the bubbly blonde grinning at him as per usual. Quickly switching from stunned to ecstatic, Gohan pounced on the unsuspecting blonde, enveloping her in a tight hug and laughing in the joyous way that only a Son could ever manage. It wasn't until Erasa's voiced reached his ears that he suddenly realised what he was doing.

"My Gohan, this is a much nicer way to start the day!" she giggled, whilst the hastily retreating teen quickly ran a hand through his unruly hair with a sheepish grin on his face.

"Gosh Erasa, I'm sorry, it's just I wasn't expecting to see you so soon!" suddenly taking on a more serious expression, he leaned in closer to his rosy-cheeked classmate. "I saw the news report last night. Are you sure you're ok to be in school so soon?"

Before she could respond a sharp voice cut across the two of them, "Yes _we're both_ fine Gohan."

"Oh Videl, I didn't you see you there, I'm sorry, it's good to see you're ok as well."

Rolling her eyes in irritation she snapped at the teen quickly before the teacher brought the class to order. "Save it, I don't need sympathy from you."

Gulping, Gohan glanced quickly to the shrugging Erasa before focussing his attention on the teacher taking roll call.

# # # # #

After hours of ice-cold treatment from the champ's daughter, Gohan was able to breathe a huge sigh of relief as the bell signalled the end of the day as well as the end of yet another mind-numbing English class.

Striding out of the classroom, he was about to make his way to the roof when a hand grabbed his arm and yanked him through the crowds of students in the opposite direction. Eyes locking onto to the hand's owner, he blushed at the winking Erasa who proceeded to drag him through the masses.

Weaving through the myriad of teenagers they made their way out of the main building, crossing a small courtyard to the science labs. As the automatic doors glided open for the duo, Erasa immediately crossed the foyer to the stairwell, where she animatedly bounded down to the basement level, stopping at a rather large set of metal doors, with the initials 'SCU' emblazoned in ominous yellow paint.

"This is going to blow your mind Gohan!"

The teen could only blink and nod in response as Erasa proceeded to run a swipe card through the reader next to the doors, causing them to slide open and reveal a sight that Gohan could only gape at.

Before him lay a lengthy corridor bathed in a bright, white light that gleamed off the white-washed walls and tiles. A series of windows on either side ran the length of the corridor, allowing visitors to glance through into a dozen or so rooms, each filled with an array of scientific equipment. As the pair walked down the corridor, Gohan's eyes darted from one lab to the next at the various pieces of equipment and differing experiments taking place, whilst Erasa resumed her usual animated method of talking.

"So officially this place is like, part of the Satan City University, they have a lot of their top R&D guys based here. Unofficially though, most of what goes on here helps us fight the crime that you've seen out on the streets."

Nodding silently, Gohan continued staring into each lab until he abruptly bumped into the blonde in front, who had stopped in front of one particular lab.

"This room for instance, contains the reason me and Videl recovered so quickly!"

Following Erasa's gaze through the glass, Gohan's eyes managed to grow even wider as the unmistakable machine came into view. _"This is… impossible…"_

"We call it the rejuvenation tank!" the ditzy blonde chirped, "you spend a night floating in this like, totally icky goo, and you come out as right as rain!"

Still struggling to come to terms with what had been revealed to him, the demi-saiyajin attempted to splutter out a coherent sentence. "How… when did… what… how did you get something like that? How do you get a place like this?"

Smiling warmly at the flabbergasted teenager, she grabbed his hand and continued leading him down the corridor, talking once again as she went.

"I don't really know the details, most of it comes from corporate sponsors as far as I'm aware, but some of it has been like, given to the University in a totally hush-hush kinda way."

Quickly bounding over to a window in the far corner Erasa excitedly pointed through the glass to where none other than Sharpener stood on a large circular platform. The vest top that he wore was soaked in sweat, whilst he attacked the air before him in a flurry of kicks and punches, seemingly oblivious to his new audience.

"This machine is like soooo awesome! Videl's dad donated a load of money for its development!" she said excitedly, before adding in a more giggly way, "It can simulate varying degrees of gravity; Sharpy there uses it with Videl to train, but I personally prefer the zero-g function!"

Gohan failed to respond, instead only managing to shake his head in disbelief at everything that had been revealed to him. After several failed attempts to pinch himself and wake up, a deep, chuckling emanated from behind him.

"Don't worry son, I can assure you everything you see here is real."

Gohan turned to face a middle-aged man, adorned in a white lab coat with a thick head of brown hair and similarly bushy goaty, he smiled warmly at the pair of students.

"My name is Dr Doak, I'm Dean of Science at Satan City University. Erasa tells me you're the lad who scored perfect results on his entrance exam?"

Quickly remembering the manners that his mother had strictly enforced upon him, Gohan quickly bowed his head slightly to the man before him. "It's nice to meet you sir, my name is Son Gohan."

Laughing, Dr Doak clapped him on the shoulder, "Don't be so formal lad, we're all friendly down here. A student with such natural talent is welcome anytime, I'll get a swipe card for the department arranged for you."

A vibration from with the doctor's lab coat alerted him to the incoming message on his cell phone, and after a quick glance he turned to the two teenagers again.

"No rest for the wicked eh? I should continue with my duties, but it was good to meet you Gohan. And Erasa, I trust I won't be seeing you in my rejuvenation tank again anytime soon...?"

Nodding sheepishly, the blonde girl alongside Gohan bid farewell to the Doctor as he vanished into one of the labs. Turning back to her spiky haired companion, she once again grabbed hold of his hand before leading him out of the department and back to the natural light of the courtyard outside.

"So Gohan, I know you're not a fighter, but like you're definitely a smarty" Erasa began, _"And a cute one at that…!"_ she added to herself with a giggle. "I help out Videl and Sharpy whenever I can down there ya know! I really like spending time with you, and like, I bet someone as clever as you could help me, I mean like us, analyze what those crooked Riverside kids are upto!"

"Gee, I… errrr… I suppose I could." Gohan replied slowly.

Clapping her hands together Erasa let out a unbelievably high pitched scream, before wrapping up Gohan in a quick hug.

"Well Gohan, I have some major beauty sleep to catch up on, so I'll see you tomorrow in class 'kay!" she chirped, before doing an about face and skipping her way out of the courtyard.

Finding himself stood alone, Gohan blinked once to himself before cautiously glancing around. Seeing nobody in the immediate area, he shot skywards before blasting in a wave of energy towards Capsule Corporation. Each and every day that passed in this school answered one question but raised a million more.

"_Hopefully Bulma has something figured out by now."_

# # # # #

Collapsing to the ground and drawing in deep, ragged breaths, Kiyonari surveyed the other fighters around him. Everyone was either unconscious, unable to move or in a similarly battered condition. Just an hour in the dreaded chamber was punishing enough, but having now crept past the five hour mark, Kiyonari was quickly realising a whole new level of pain.

As the stolen technology embedded in the walls around him silently worked its magic, the chamber continued to change. One moment you could be standing pridefully, only to find yourself flat on your face seconds later as additional weight was applied to your body.

A couple of the teenagers littering the floor were first-timers he mused, and they had quickly learnt that being able to hold yourself upright was the least of your problems in this dreaded enclosure. The atmosphere adjusted as unexpectedly as the gravity, soaring as high as 40 degrees and plummeting to sub-zero temperatures. Humidity changed equally, sometimes suffocating those inexperienced in the chamber to the point of blacking out.

Quickly pushing himself into a sideward roll, Kiyonari narrowly avoided the energy blast that slammed into the floor where he had knelt moments ago. Balling his own energy into a tight fist, Kiyonari slammed into the hovering device that had snuck up on him unawares, watching satisfied as it disintegrated in an instant.

Suddenly within the space of a millisecond, the dimly lit room illuminated and the hardened fighter instantly found himself able to breathe with ease once again.

A number of the supposed 'medical team' rushed into the room to deal with the injured fighters, each dispensing with any form of bedside manner as they roughly assessed the injuries of each person in the room.

Shoving away one particular medic who had attempted to aid him in a similar manner, Kiyonari slowly lifted himself upright before staggering his way out of the chamber. Dragging himself down the corridor, occasionally propping himself against the cold concrete walls to gather some much needed air, he arrived at his destination. Approaching the alien looking device, he grabbed either side of the hatch and lowered himself into the pod before placing a mask over his face and hitting a button on the side. Resting his head back, his eyes closed as the hatch before him similarly shut itself, and he quickly succumbed to the familiar feeling of liquid filling the tank.

# # # # #

"I didn't realise Dr Doak was doing so well, that's nice to know." Bulma responded after Gohan had finished his latest report.

Blinking, the demi-saiyajin looked inquisitively at Bulma, "What do you mean? Do you know him?"

Smiling back at the teenager, she nodded an affirmative, "Of course, a few years ago he was one of my dad's top researchers. He grew tired of the private sector though and wanted to go back to teaching. We let him have access to some of our work for educational purposes - he's a good man."

Nodding in thought, Gohan reflected on what he'd seen in the lab, "It would seem they've taken education to a whole new meaning at the University then."

Standing up, Bulma strolled over to a nearby worktop with a number of devices on it, "Well I'll just have to see what information I can get from Dr Doak. In the meantime you can use these to do some investigating of your own!"

His curiosity hooked at the woman's excitable determination, Gohan followed her to the worktop and focussed on the object she held in her hand – a pen. Taking it from her he looked the item over to find nothing extraordinary about it, "So what's this for exactly Bulma?"

"From this point on Gohan, you are going to be Bond, James Bond! Or at the very least as close to him as you can be. This pen is one of many classroom gadgets for you to use!" she stated triumphantly.

Continuing to look it over, now genuinely interested, Gohan looked at the eager woman, motioning for to continue.

"Ok so the pen is actually a touch-activated sensor, it recognises each individual ki signature that it comes into contact with and evaluates their strength. It's a modification of the old saiyajin scouters."

Drawing his attention to a range of items on the desk, Bulma began describing a variety of items that were present.

"This calculator can detect and analyse any artificial power signal. This modified OSH badge has a built in video camera and microphone, and the belt buckle has a tracking device so we can locate you at all times in the 'mystery' field."

Reaching over to pick up one particular item from the table she handed it over to Gohan. "Now this is the pièce de résistance! Try it on!"

Looking at the watch in his hand, he quickly fastened it to his wrist and gave it a shake, trying to figure out what it would do. With no apparent function other than to tell the time, the spiky haired teen glanced at the expectant scientist.

"Try turning into a super saiyajin!" she said grinning.

"Seriously? In here? You're not normally a fan of transformations inside your house Bulma…"

"It'll be ok, just don't overdo it."

Shrugging, Gohan braced himself as the familiar flood of energy rushed through his body culminating in an explosion of golden light. As his hair transformed to blonde and eyes to a deep turquoise, a series of golden lines began to form around his body before materialising into a set of clothing.

Hurriedly being shoved towards a mirror by the eager Bulma, Gohan found himself staring at the new outfit he wore. A tight black spandex bodysuit covered his body and legs, whilst a green tunic adorned his body. Saiyajin boots and gloves fit snugly around his hands and feet.

"Errrrr… what's this for…?"

Beaming at the creation in front of her, Bulma made Gohan twirl as she tugged at certain parts of the outfit to ensure its fit.

"Well you said you wanted to be a normal schoolboy, yet still help your friends when they're in danger, this way you can do both with a secret identity!" she replied beaming. "The watch uses the same technology as the pen, and changes your outfit whenever it detects your super saiyajin transformation!"

Gohan glanced again in the mirror, "I guess Bulma, but I don't think-"

His sentence was cut short as a booming laughter rang out from behind him, turning to the doorway he found the mighty prince of saiyajins almost bent over in a fit of hysterics. An equally amused Trunks stood behind him, unsuccessfully trying to stifle a giggle.

"Brat, what in Kami's name are you wearing?"

"What do you know Vegeta!" Bulma quickly shot back, "This is the height of fashion!"

Powering down from super saiyajin, Gohan was thankful to see the clothing disappear along with his golden locks. Removing the watch from his wrist, he handed it back to Bulma.

"I hate to say it Bulma, but I agree with Vegeta. It's a good idea but I'm not sure I could go around dressed like… _that_." Gohan said apologetically.

Huffing, Bulma placed her hands on her hips and looked at Gohan expectantly, trying to ignore the renewed chorus of laughter coming from her ignorant husband.

"Well Gohan, what would you suggest instead?"

Grinning nervously, hand behind his head, Gohan desperately tried to think of something. Eyes suddenly widening at the realisation of what he wanted, he reached into his satchel and pulled a small photo out, handing it to Bulma.

"This is how I want to look."

Bulma glanced at the photo before looking up at the suddenly serious teenager, her expectant look changing to one of slight concern. "Are you sure Gohan?"

Nodding, Gohan took the photo back. "I'm positive."

# # # # #

Staring into his bedroom mirror, Gohan continued to transform, as quietly as possible to avoid his mother's wrath, back and forth into a Super Saiyajin. In his reflection, he watched as the now familiar gold lines took shape around his body before his new crime fighting uniform materialised.

"You look awesome Gohan!"

Powering down for the last time, Gohan looked across at his younger brother, stood motionless with a look of wonder and awe plastered across his face.

"Thanks squirt, now let's get to bed. Who knows what tomorrow will bring..."

As the tiny tornado immediately dived under the covers, Gohan couldn't help but grin. The young chibi reminded him so much of his father at times, not just in the way he looked, but the way he spoke, acted - even the way he ate. Climbing into bed himself, Gohan switched off the bedside lamp before closing his eyes and sending a silent message skywards.

"_I'll make you proud dad."_

# # # # #

Another chapter – it's a miracle!

I've resigned myself to the fact I'm not a very committed writer (this story started in 2007!), so I can only express my deepest apologies to those of you who are interested in this storyline.

At the same time I'd like to express some very sincere thanks to everyone that has reviewed the story, I'm glad so many of you are enjoying it, and I hope I can find some time to make things a bit more regular for you all.

Anyway that's me done for this chapter, maybe (fingers crossed) I'll see you all in Chapter 7!


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